Page 12 Par 2-6
(2) Operators must incorporate these instructions/procedures in their maintenance program/manual and job/task cards. It is especially important that the job/task cards contain all the instructions and procedures that support the EWIS task.
d. Protections and Caution Instructions/Information. The EWIS ICA also includes protections and caution instructions/information that will minimize contamination and accidental damage to EWIS during the performance of maintenance, alterations, or repairs. Inspections of other airplanes after the Boeing 747 and MD-11 accidents showed that contamination of wire bundles with metal shavings, dust, and fluids were common conditions in representative examples of the aging fleet of transport airplanes. These contaminants could damage EWIS and also provide fuel for an electrical fire.
(1) The TCH has developed these protections and caution instructions/information to support the EWIS maintenance program for the airplane. These protections and caution instructions/information will be in the AMM or SWPM/ESPM They are FAA Oversight Office approved. Only those sections are FAA Oversight Office approved, not the entire manual.
(2) It is important that the operator incorporate protections and cautions into its maintenance program/manual to minimize contamination and accidental damage to EWIS when performing maintenance, alteration, or repairs. In addition, the operator should have procedures in its maintenance program/manual that instructs its maintenance personnel “to clean the EWIS and surrounding area after completion of any maintenance, alterations, or repairs.” It is especially important to include the same or a similarly worded statement on the job/task card.
(3) The operator can develop its own instructions and procedures to carry out the EWIS tasks provided the operator developed ones produce an equivalent result to those approved by the FAA Oversight Office and the AMM or SWPM/ESPM allows the use of alternative or equivalent tools or materials. In this case, further approval by the FAA Oversight Office is not required but can be approved by the principal inspector (PI). If the operator proposes to change the instructions and procedures, the supporting technical justification/data must be submitted to and found acceptable by the PI.
(4) The operator is responsible for ensuring that the FAA Oversight Office-approved protections and caution instructions/information are incorporated into its maintenance program/manual and job/task cards and any other documents the operator uses in administering their maintenance program, such as engineering orders/authorizations, as applicable. The operator must have procedures in its maintenance/inspection program/manual that instructs its maintenance program development personnel who write/revise manuals and job/task cards, and engineering personnel who develop/revise engineering orders that all FAA Oversight Office-approved protections and caution instructions/information must be incorporated in those documents as appropriate. It is especially important to include the protections and caution instructions/information on the job/task cards.
(5) Operator-developed job/task cards that include EWIS inspection tasks must have the protections and caution information and instructions included on the job/task cards and it should reference the location in the AMM or SWPM/ESPM. Similarly, engineering orders that affect the EWIS must have protections and caution instructions/information included.
Par 2-7 Page 13
2-7. STC HOLDER-DEVELOPED EWIS ICA.
a. Applicability. Section 26.11 applies to applicants for STCs if the date of application was before December 10, 2007, and the STC was issued on or after that date. The rule also applies to applications for new STCs filed after the effective date of the rule (December 10, 2007). It does not retroactively apply to any STCs installed prior to December 10, 2007.
b. New STC Applications. Section 26.11 requires new or amended STC applications filed after the effective date of the rule to be evaluated and, if necessary, to be developed and the revisions submitted for review and approval by the FAA Oversight Office. However, if an operator develops its own STC which creates new EWIS ICA, the FAA Oversight Office must approve them.
NOTE: The operator must submit its STC EWIS ICA as part of the STC package, along with supporting technical justification/data to the FAA Oversight Office for approval.
2-8. STC LIMITATION. Part 26 does not prohibit issuing an STC even if the STC applicant has not yet met the requirements of that section. In this case, the FAA will add a limitation to the STC. FAA engineering policy memo PS-AIR-100 2007-12-27A, Enhanced Airworthiness Program for Airplane Systems (EAPAS) Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) Limitation, dated July 7, 2008, describes how and when the FAA will do this. You can download an electronic copy at http://rgl.faa.gov/.
a. Limitation Statement. It is important for the operator to understand that this is a limitation on the STC applicant and not the operator. The following statement is added to the Limitation Section of the STC:
“This modification may not be installed after August 30, 2010 unless
(1) previously approved electrical wiring interconnection system (EWIS) instructions for continued airworthiness (ICA) have been evaluated and determined to be adequate for this installation by the FAA, or (2) revised EWIS ICA have been approved by the FAA Oversight Office. (Refer to § 26.11.)”
b. Installation after August 30, 2010. In order for the operator to install the STC after August 30, 2010, the operator will need to have one of the following:
(1) A letter from the FAA Oversight Office stating that the previously approved EWIS ICA have been evaluated and shown to be adequate for the modification. The operator should request this letter from the FAA Oversight Office to ensure that the STC has been evaluated in accordance with § 26.11(c)(1) and (2) prior to installation, or
(2) Revised EWIS ICA that the FAA Oversight Office has approved for the STC modification. The revised EWIS ICA should be provided to the operator by the STC holder.
c. Existing STCs after August 30, 2010. As stated above, this is a limitation on the STC applicant, not on the operator. Operators can continue to operate their airplanes with the existing STC after August 30, 2010. The operator has no obligation under the operation rules
Page 14 Par 2-8 (§§ 121.1111 and 129.111) to develop EWIS ICA for the existing STC. If the STC holder provides EWIS ICA for the previously incorporated STC (STC installed after the effective date of the rule), the operator must incorporate the EWIS ICA into its maintenance program.
NOTE: If a STC limitation remains, that STC cannot be installed on previously unmodified airplanes even if an operator operates airplanes that had the design change installed on the same airplane model prior to August 30, 2010.
2-9. REQUIREMENT TO ENSURE COMPATIBILITY BETWEEN FUEL TANK SYSTEM AND EWIS ICA. Section 26.11 requires a review by the TC and STC holders of any fuel tank system ICA developed to comply with SFAR 88, Fuel Tank System Fault Tolerance Evaluation Requirements. This ensures compatibility with the EZAP-generated EWIS ICA and minimizes duplication of requirements between them (refer to Appendix 2 for more information on EZAP). Fuel tank wiring is part of the aircraft’s EWIS. The fuel tank system maintenance and inspection requirements might be more specific than those for wiring in general, and might contain additional requirements.
a. TC and STC Holder Review. The DAH will review ICA to ensure that any maintenance tasks for EWIS do not compromise fuel tank system wire requirements, such as separation or configuration specifications. Operators need to be aware that separation and configuration of EWIS, especially when performing a repair or alteration to the EWIS or fuel tank system wiring, may be critical.
NOTE: The FAA Oversight Office must approve any operator-proposed changes to separation and configuration of EWIS or fuel tank system wiring.
The operator must submit its proposed changes with supporting technical justification/data through the PI. The PI adds comments (if any) and forwards the proposed changes to the FAA Oversight Office for approval.
b. Fuel Tank System ICA Location. The TCH will list the EWIS and fuel tank system tasks and intervals in its maintenance program document for the airplane. They are identified as EWIS ICA or EWIS/SFAR 88 ICA. The STC holder will typically list its ICA in the STC document it provides. The FAA Oversight Office approves the TC and STC ICA.
c. Example. The following table is an example of how a TCH has identified an integrated EWIS/SFAR 88 task within its maintenance program documents. STC holders may identify them differently and include them in the ICA section of their documents. Each task is identified as an EWIS task or SFAR 88 task. An integrated task will be identified as a EWIS/SFAR 88 task.
Operators must identify the EWIS tasks and the integrated EWIS/SFAR 88 tasks in their maintenance program so as not to lose their identity as part of an approved ICA.
(1) Column 1 identifies the task number, in this case 20-XXX. The task number 20-XXX is only an example for illustration purposes in this AC. An actual TCH task number will probably contain six or more numbers, such as 20-XXX-XX. Some may also be in ATA 28, so the task may be 28-XX-XX.
(2) Column 2 is the task, which is a DET.
Par 2-9 Page 15 (and 16)
(3) Column 3 is the task interval, 6C.
(4) Column 4 is airplane applicability.
(5) Column 5 is a description of the task and, in this case, is an integrated EWIS/SFAR 88 task.
d. Operator-Developed EWIS ICA. The FAA recognizes that some operators may not have maintenance programs developed using MSG-3. These operators can incorporate the TC or STC holder’s FAA Oversight Office-approved ICA into their maintenance programs or they can develop their own EWIS ICA using the current edition of AC 25-27.
NOTE: Important information for the operator: If the operator develops its own EWIS ICA, the FAA Oversight Office must approve them. The operator must forward its proposed EWIS ICA through the PI. The PI adds comments (if any) and forwards the proposed EWIS ICA to the FAA Oversight Office for approval. Operators must incorporate the FAA Oversight Office-approved EWIS ICA into their maintenance program.
TABLE 1. INTEGRATED ENHANCED AIRWORTHINESS PROGRAM FOR
AIRPLANE SYSTEMS/FUEL TANK SAFETY TASK
1. Item 2. Task
3. Task interval
4. Airplane Applicability 5. Task description 20-XXX * DET 6C All Inspect exposed EWIS/FQIS etc.
EWIS/SFAR 88 * paragraphs 2-8c(1)
Par 3-1 Page 17 CHAPTER 3. OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS
3-1. OPERATOR INCORPORATION OF FAA-APPROVED ELECTRICAL WIRING
INTERCONNECTION SYSTEM (EWIS) INSTRUCTIONS FOR CONTINUED AIRWORTHINESS (ICA) INTO THE MAINTENANCE PROGRAM. The operational rules in Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) part 121, § 121.1111 and part 129, § 129.111 require operators to incorporate FAA Oversight Office-approved EWIS ICA into their maintenance program. These ICA include inspection and restoration tasks, task intervals, instructions/procedures to accomplish those tasks, and protections and caution instructions/information for the EWIS. The FAA expects that type certificate holders (TCH) will incorporate the approved EWIS ICA into their Maintenance Review Board Report (MRBR) or maintenance implementation document and make them available to operators either electronically or in hard copy. The FAA expects that Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) holders will make them available by similar means.
a. Operator’s Tracking System. The operator should establish a tracking system within its maintenance program that tracks the incorporation of and any revisions to FAA Oversight Office-approved EWIS ICA, so the ICA will not lose their identity as FAA-approved EWIS ICA.
This includes:
(1) Task and intervals,
(2) Instructions/procedures in the Airplane Maintenance Manual (AMM) and Standard Wiring Practice Manual (SWPM)/Electrical Standard Practices Manual (ESPM), and
(3) Protections and caution instructions/information in the AMM and SWPM/ESPM.
b. Controlling Reference Numbers. TCHs’ controlling reference numbers uniquely identify the EWIS ICA for identification and traceability purposes throughout the operational life of the airplane. During the initial incorporation of the EWIS ICA into the operator’s maintenance program, the operator should use these controlling reference numbers or an operator-developed system that correlates to them for the purposes of traceability. This will provide operator traceability during future maintenance program changes that contain EWIS ICA. This will help prevent inadvertent deletion, changes to the type of task, or escalation of EWIS ICA without proper consideration of the reason for the task and its interval. The tracking system should correlate to the controlling reference number for the EWIS ICA and be acceptable to the principal inspector (PI).
3-2. OPERATOR CHANGES TO EZAP DEVELOPED EWIS TASK OR TASK INTERVALS.
a. Types of Changes. There are two types of changes to the operator’s EWIS maintenance program:
(1) Deletion of or changes to a EWIS task, or
(2) Escalation of an airplane check package/interval, such as “C check” containing EWIS tasks and intervals.
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b. FAA Oversight Office Approval. If the operator proposes to delete or change an EWIS task, it must be approved by the FAA Oversight Office. The operator should submit its proposed changes with supporting technical justification/data through the PI. The PI adds comments (if any) and forwards the proposed changes to the FAA Oversight Office for approval.
c. Escalation of an Airplane Check Package/Interval. If the operator proposes an escalation of an airplane check package/interval, such as the “C check” that contains EWIS tasks and intervals, the FAA Oversight Office does not have to approve the change. This change is within the authority of the PI and the procedures in the operator’s maintenance program/manual.
The operator must provide the PI with technical justification for escalating any EWIS tasks and intervals.
3-3. OPERATOR CHANGES TO EWIS ICA DEVELOPED UNDER 14 CFR PART 25, § 25.1729.
a. Requirements. The following EWIS ICA are required if the airplane has § 25.1729 in its certification basis, or if the FAA Oversight Office has determined that an STC applicant must comply with 14 CFR part 21, § 21.101, Designation of Applicable Regulations, and, therefore, require the applicant to comply with all or parts of the EWIS requirements of § 25.1729.
• Acceptable EWIS maintenance practices in a standard format.
• EWIS ICA such as wiring separation requirements.
• EWIS identification methods and requirements for identifying any changes to EWIS.
• Electrical load data and instructions for updating that data.
b. Approval. Operators should discuss any proposed changes to the EWIS requirements with the PI and FAA Oversight Office to see if the proposed changes are within the authority of the PI and the procedures within the operator’s maintenance program, or if they must be approved by the FAA Oversight Office.
3-4. EAPAS MAINTENANCE TRAINING. The Enhanced Airworthiness Program for Airplane Systems/Fuel Tank Safety (EAPAS/FTS) rule introduced new requirements that affect design approval holders (DAH) and operators. To realize fully the objectives of EAPAS/FTS requirements, the FAA encourages operators to rethink their current philosophical approach to maintaining, inspecting, and altering aircraft wiring and systems in the aircraft. The FAA has also adopted the “Protect and Clean as You Go” philosophy. This philosophy stresses:
a. Protective Measures. The importance of protective measures when working on or around wire bundles and connectors, and
b. Debris Removal. The importance of protecting EWIS during structural repairs, STC installations, or other alterations by making sure that metal shavings, debris, and contamination resulting from such work are removed during work in progress and after completion.
c. Operator Training. This philosophical approach begins at the airplane manufacturer with maintenance program enhancements, maintenance manual changes, and maintenance
Par 3-4 Page 19 (and 20) training programs. In addition, there will be new AMM and job/task card procedures, inspection devices, graphical information showing required tasks, or changes in tasks such as wiring splicing. Operators should provide training to maintenance, inspection, and engineering personnel, including persons who write and edit job cards and engineering orders. The FAA has published AC 120-94, Aircraft Electrical Wiring Interconnection Systems Training Program, to assist operators in development of EWIS training programs.
d. Manufacturer-Developed Training Programs. Operators can also take advantage of any airplane manufacturer-developed training programs that address EWIS.
3-5. OPERATOR’S MAINTENANCE PROGRAM APPROVAL UNDER §§ 121.1111 AND 129.111.
a. Transport Category Airplanes. Operators of transport category airplanes to which §§ 121.1111 and 129.111 apply must incorporate the EWIS ICA into their maintenance program.
Sections 121.1111(e) and 129.111(e) require that any EWIS maintenance program changes identified in paragraphs (c) and (d) of those sections and any later revisions must be submitted to the PI for review and approval.
b. Operations Specification (OpSpec)/Management Specification (MSpec) D097. The PI will approve incorporation into the maintenance program by issuing OpSpec/MSpec D097, Aging Aircraft Programs. The operator must use the free text area of the OpSpec/MSpec D097 to identify and record the document(s) by document number, revision number, and date – used as the source of the FAA Oversight Office-approved EWIS/Fuel Tank Safety (FTS) ICA, or if this information is contained in the operator’s manual system, a reference to that location in their manual system can be recorded in the free text area.
NOTE: The operator must have procedures in its manual that track any changes and approvals made to the FAA Oversight Office-approved EWIS/FTS ICA.
c. Changes to the Maintenance Program. The operator should handle any changes to its EWIS maintenance program in accordance with this AC.
Appendix 1 Page 1 (and 2) APPENDIX 1. ACRONYMS 14 CFR Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations AC Advisory Circular ACO Aircraft Certification Office AD Airworthiness Directive AEG Aircraft Evaluation Group AFS Flight Standards Service ALS Airworthiness Limitation Section AMM Airplane Maintenance Manual APU Auxiliary Power Unit ASI Aviation Safety Inspector A4A Airlines for America CMM Component Maintenance Manual CWT Center Wing Fuel Tank DAH Design Approval Holder DET Detailed Inspection DOT Department of Transportation EAPAS Enhanced Airworthiness Program for Airplane Systems EAPAS/FTS Enhanced Airworthiness Program for Airplane Systems/Fuel Tank Safety ESPM Electrical Standard Practices Manual EWIS Electrical Wiring Interconnection System EZAP Enhanced Zonal Analysis Procedure FAA Federal Aviation Administration FQIS Fuel Quantity Indicator System FR Federal Register GVI General Visual Inspection HQ Headquarters ICA Instructions for Continued Airworthiness MRB Maintenance Review Board MRBR Maintenance Review Board Report MSG-3 Maintenance Steering Group – 3rd Task Force MSI Maintenance Significant Items MSpec Management Specification NTSB National Transportation Safety Board OpSpec Operations Specification PI Principal Inspector RGL Regulatory and Guidance Library SB Service Bulletin SFAR Special Federal Aviation Regulations STC Supplemental Type Certificate SWPM Standard Wiring Practice Manual TC Type Certificate TCH Type Certificate Holder TSB The Transportation Safety Board of Canada
Appendix 2 APPENDIX 2. DEFINITIONS
1. Affected Persons. For the purposes of this advisory circular (AC), operators and others required to comply with the requirements of Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) part 26, § 26.11, part 25, § 25.1729, part 121, § 121.1111, and part 129, § 129.111.
2. Airplane Maintenance Manual (AMM). A manual developed by the manufacturer of a particular airplane that contains information necessary for the continued airworthiness of that airplane.
3. Airworthy. An aircraft, aircraft engine, or component which conforms to its type design and is in safe condition for operation.
4. Component Maintenance Manual (CMM). A manual developed by a manufacturer that contains information necessary for the continued airworthiness of a particular component.
5. Continued Airworthiness. Certified aircraft, engines, propellers, and appliances are safe to operate for the intended purpose; they are maintained safely throughout their service life; the product meets its type design and is in a condition for safe operation.
6. Design Approval Holder (DAH). For the purposes of this AC, a design approval holder is a type certificate holder (TCH), and Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) holder.
7. Electrical Wiring Interconnection System (EWIS). Per § 25.1701, the term EWIS “means any wire, wiring device, or combination of these, including termination devices, installed in any area of the airplane for the purpose of transmitting electrical energy, including data and signals, between two or more intended termination points.” (Refer to final rule, Federal Register (FR) Volume 72, Number 216, Subpart H — Electrical Wiring Interconnection Systems (EWIS) Certification Rules, for all 14 items that comprise the entire definition).
8. Enhanced Zonal Analysis Procedure (EZAP). A logical process for developing maintenance and inspection instructions for EWIS.
9. FAA Oversight Office. The Aircraft Certification Office (ACO) or the office of the Transport Airplane Directorate having oversight responsibility for the relevant type certificate (TC) or supplemental type certificate (STC), as determined by the Administrator.
10. Flammable. Per 14 CFR part 1, § 1.1, “flammable, with respect to a fluid or gas, means susceptible to igniting readily or to exploding.”
11. Flight Standards Service (AFS). Offices located in Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) headquarters (HQ) responsible for developing guidance and policy applicable to transport category airplanes for Aircraft Evaluation Group (AEG) personnel and Flight Standards Services (AFS) field personnel (maintenance, avionics and operations aviation safety inspectors (ASI)) in the conduct of their responsibilities.
12. Instructions for Continued Airworthiness (ICA). The information developed in accordance with applicable airworthiness requirements that includes the applicable inspection
Appendix 2 tasks, intervals, methods, processes, procedures, and airworthiness limitations (AL) to keep the product Airworthy throughout its operational life.
13. Maintenance and Inspection Instructions. Information that provides for each part of the airplane and its engine auxiliary power units (APU), propellers, accessories, instruments, and equipment the recommended periods at which they should be cleaned, inspected, adjusted, tested, and lubricated, and the degree of inspection, the applicable wear tolerances, and work recommended at these periods necessary to provide for the continued airworthiness of the airplane. They also include the recommended overhaul periods and necessary cross-reference to the Airworthiness Limitation Section (ALS) of the manual.
14. Maintenance Implementation Document (MID). A document developed by one aircraft manufacturer that contains a comprehensive list of all EWIS and Fuel Tank Safety (FTS) ICA which will satisfy the requirements contained in the Enhanced Airworthiness Program for Airplane Systems/Fuel Tank Safety (EAPAS/FTS) operational rules.
15. Maintenance Planning Data (MPD). Data developed by the manufacturer of a particular airplane which contain the information each operator of that airplane needs to develop a customized, scheduled maintenance program.
16. Maintenance Review Board Report (MRBR). Intended for air carriers, a report which contains the initial minimum scheduled maintenance and inspection requirements for a particular transport category airplane and on-wing engine program. Air carriers may use those provisions— along with other maintenance information contained in the ICA—in the development of their maintenance programs.
17. Maintenance Steering Group – 3rd Task Force (MSG-3). A voluntary structured process developed by the industry and maintained by the Airlines for America (A4A) to make decisions used to develop maintenance and inspection tasks and intervals for an airplane.
18. Products. Certified aircraft, engines, propellers, and appliances.
19. Representative Airplane’s EWIS. For the purposes of the EAPAS/FTS rule, the “representative airplane’s” EWIS is the configuration of each model series airplane that incorporates all variations of EWIS used in production on that series airplane and all TCH-designed modifications mandated by Airworthiness Directive (AD) as of the effective date of the rule.
20. STC-Developed EWIS ICA. STC holders may use the Maintenance Review Board (MRB) process or any other process they choose. Regardless of the process used, the end result must be ICA that include the applicable inspection tasks, intervals, methods, processes, and procedures to keep the EWIS Airworthy throughout its operational life.
21. STC EWIS ICA. The inspections and procedures to keep an alteration affecting the EWIS approved under an STC Airworthy throughout its operational life.
22. TCH EWIS ICA. The inspections and procedures to keep EWIS Airworthy throughout its operational life.
Appendix 2 Page 3 (and 4)
23. TCH Original EWIS ICA. The result of the MRB process. During this process, TCH-developed Maintenance Significant Items (MSI) are subjected to maintenance program development logic, such as in MSG-3 or later revisions. The result is an ICA that includes the applicable inspection tasks, intervals, methods, processes, and procedures to keep the EWIS Airworthy throughout its operational life.
Appendix 3 Page 1 (and 2) APPENDIX 3. FAA OVERSIGHT OFFICES BY AIRPLANE MANUFACTURER Airplane Manufacturer FAA Oversight Office ATR – GIE Avions de Transport Regional Tr ansport Standards Staff, International Branch, ANM-116 Airbus Transport Standards Staff, International Branch, ANM-116 BAE Transport Standards Staff, International Branch, ANM-116 Boeing – Seattle Area Seattle Ai rcraft Certification Office ANM-100S and/or Boeing Aviation Safety Oversight Office (ANM-100B) Bombardier New York Airc raft Certification Office CASA Transport Standards Staff, International Branch, ANM-116 dehavilland New York Airc raft Certification Office Dornier Transport Standards Staff, International Branch, ANM-116 Embraer Transport Standards Staff, International Branch, ANM-116 Fokker Transport Standards Staff, International Branch, ANM-116 Lockheed Martin Atlanta Aircraft Certification Office Boeing – Long Beach (McDonnell-Douglas) Los Angeles Aircraft Certification Office SAAB Transport Standards Staff, International Branch, ANM-116